Buoy
by classicalreader313
Summary: "She needed to be strong, brave, a buoy for her new, small, scared friend." After the shipwreck, Ginger tries her best to reassure Mary Ann that everything will be fine.


**Some of this is based off the scene in "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk", when the Skipper sends Gilligan to cheer up the girls.**

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><p>After days spent amidst the fearsome rocking of the <em>Minnow, <em>it was a miracle for Ginger Grant to feel solid ground beneath her feet again. Now, she was on the beach, still a bit unsteady on her feet. Beside her was the petite farm girl, Mary Ann. A young girl from Kansas, as the radio report had said. Earlier, as the announcer droned on, listing off the castaways and acquainting the ragtag group of castaways with each other, the two girls exchanged a glance, two pairs of eyes mirroring their owners' fear.

Now, the two women were on the beach, laying blankets and clothes salvaged from the wrecked ship out to dry in the tropical sun. They didn't talk much, just reflecting on all that had passed. Birds whistled from the jungle, an unexplored, dark place. The girls stuck close to the ship.

Mary Ann's demeanor hadn't changed since the radio announcer had first introduced each of them properly just a few hours earlier. Her brown eyes shone with barely concealed tears, and she had to bite her lip to keep herself grounded. Ginger, on the other hand, was an actress. She could appear anyway she pleased, and now she was like a strong buoy, unfazed by tumultuous currents, while Mary Ann appeared to be drowning.

While the two silently worked at their task, the first mate, Gilligan, ran over to them, kicking up sand onto the drying blankets. Ginger shot him an annoyed glance, which he didn't seem to notice, and she gathered up the blankets, shaking them out. Mary Ann immediately rushed over to him, grasping out for a line while the waves threatened to pull her away into hopelessness. "Oh, Gilligan. What did the Skipper say?" she urged, grabbing his arm. "Can we get a message through? Are we gonna be saved?"

Gilligan had a smile on his face, but it was shaky and frail. "No, transmitter's broken," he answered, trying his best to sound cheery.

"Broken?" Mary Ann asked, and whatever semblance of calm she had dissolved. Tears threatened to spill with more urgency than before. "That's not something to smile about!"

"No, it isn't," Gilligan said, a lighthearted lilt in his voice. Suddenly sobering, he amended in a miserable voice, "No, it isn't."

As the first mate prattled on about the terrible mess the seven of them were in, Ginger began to feel sorry for him. He was almost as young as Mary Ann. The two of them were just like children, so far away from home, and so, so scared. "In short, things couldn't be worse," Gilligan finished, and while Mary Ann still held on to his red shirt clad arm with one hand, she used the other one to wipe her eyes.

Gilligan himself wasn't doing too much better. His teeth chattered and he was holding her arm at her elbow. The two youngest out of the group of new castaways were adrift, overcome with raw fear, with nothing to bring them back from safety.

That's where Ginger came in. Setting down the blankets, she approached the two. "Thank you, Gilligan," she said, touching his arm. His eyes left the young brunette's face and looked up to the actress. "Now go back to the Skipper. I'm sure there's a lot of work to do."

"But-" the first mate looked conflicted about leaving Mary Ann.

Ginger smiled softly, reassuringly. "I'll take care of her. Now get going."

He scrambled after that, and Ginger and Mary Ann were left again in silence, the only sound being the wind and the crashing of the waves. Those sounds didn't make Mary Ann feel better in the least. Then, as quiet as the wind, Mary Ann said, "Ginger, what if we never go home?" After uttering these words, she wept.

Ginger watched her for only a moment, a pitiful lost figure outlined by the enormous beach. Then she was with her, hugging her close. "Mary Ann, we'll be fine. It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too," she admitted.

The younger woman cried out all her fears, explaining to Ginger that this was her first time away from home, and that she was afraid that she would never again see her aunt and uncle and cousins in Kansas. Ginger listened, rubbing her back.

As the sun hoisted itself to its highest point, Mary Ann pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Ginger, do you really think we'll be okay? What about what Gilligan said?"

"Honey, he's scared too, just like you. But trust me, we'll be fine. Maybe this place'll become like home," she reassured gently. The redhead had her doubts, her fears, and a small part of her didn't believe her own words. But she was an actress, and now she needed to be strong, brave, a buoy for her new, small, scared friend.


End file.
